Hinge



Nov. 13, 1945. y rH.TRAUWIULLER v l 2,389,010

HINGE Filed- Jan. 27, 1944 Q1-4- f f f Patented Nov. 13, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHCE IDNGE Herbert Traumller, Brooklyn. N. Y.

Application January 27, 1944, Sera No. 519,955

- 7 Claims. (Cl. 16-159) This invention relates to hinges adaptedA for use in hingedly coupling box or case parts composed of light or relatively thin materials of various kinds and classes. More particularly the invention relates to hinges having substantially similar butt parts including at end portions thereof L-shaped fianges for securing the butts to the respective supports, and further, in utilizing one of the iianges at each end of the respective butts as a means for keying and retaining the butts against displacement from their respective supports.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description ,when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed, and in which the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views; and in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view of the hinge side of a box and cover coupled together with one of my improved hinges. Y

Fig. 2 is a partial section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, on an enarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. S-A is a View similar to Fig. 3, showing only a part of the construction and showing a modification.

Fig. 4- is a section on the line 4--4 of Fig'.v 1; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken through the central portion of the hinge, as seen in Fig. 1, showing the adaptation of a spring member to the hinge in forming a spring hinge construction.

The present application is a continuation in part of the structure disclosed in my prior application Serial Number 499,351, filed August 20, 1943, and matured into Patent No. 2,343,593 of March '1, 1944. The present application is directed; to a hinge structure adapted primarily for use in connection with thin walled articles' boxes, cases and the like, and wherein the hinge butts are disposed on an outer surface of the parts to be hingedly coupled. For example, the box and the cover therefor.

With this type of construction the hinge butts are produced with L-shaped end coupling anges of such dimensions as to incorporate in one flange a length equivalent to or substantially equivalent to the thickness of the wall of the support in connection with which it is to be mounted, and the other angularly extending Iiange being adapted to be forced into and imbedded in the inner surface of said wall of the support in securing and keying the butt against displacement from the wall. Thus dispensing with the use of screws, nails and other fastening devices commonly employed in mounting hinges of the class under consideration in position.

Furthermore, where the wall structure of the support is composed of relatively hard material in comparison with a soft wood or soft plastic material, the last mentioned key flange may include a prong for piercing the wall structure to insure rm and definite mounting of the butt in connection therewith. This type of construction would also be desirable where excessive crimping of the keying ange would not be desirable. v

In the present illustration, the size of the hinge and box and cover parts have been exaggerated for sake of clarity. In Figs. l and 2, l0 can be said to represent a box or case part, and l I a cover hingedly coupled therewith by one of my improved hinges l2.

The hinge l2 comprises two substantially similar butt parts f3 and f4, each having at one edge thereof curled cylindrical bearings l5 and I6, three being employed on each butt. It will thus be seen that one hinge butt blank will sufflee in forming each butt member by simply bringing the cylindrical bearing ends together in the manner clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. The cylindrical bearings are joined by a pintle pin l1, to which one set of bearings IE--IG will be secured in order to retain the pin against accidenta1 displacement.

Each hinge butt terminates at its ends in L- shaped mounting flanges comprising a flange i8 integral with the attaching plate i9 of the butt, and extending at an angle thereto. At the end of this flange is an angularly extending and shorter flange 20, which is normally disposed at an angle to the flange I8, and would assume the dotted line position indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

The flanges VI8 are of a length equal to the thickness of the Wall structure of the box and cover parts I (L -H, and adjacent abutting edges of these parts are slit or out, as at 2l, for a depth at least equal to the width of the ange I8. This provides free mounting of each butt in connection with the supports I0 and ll with the flanges 20 arranged upon inner surfaces 22 of the supports, after which the flanges 20 are depressed or forced into the suports ill-H, thus forming depressions 23- in the surfaces 22, and this keys and retains the butts against displacement from each support I0 and l I, as will clearly appear from a consideration of Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing. In the latter ngure, it will be apparent that the wall portions 24 remain on the adjacent surfaces of the parts I Il and Il, which prevent the butts from becoming detached from each support.

In forming the hinge butts, the central portions of the attaching plates I9 thereof are depressed inwardly to form sockets 25, which will register with sockets 28 formeduin the supports. I and I I to adapt the hinge for theapplication of spring'members' whenever desired for providing a spring hinge mounting of the cover part. ,A v.

The spring is not illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing in that it is not essential that the spring structure be employed. However, these socket portions 2-5 in the butts will strengthen the attaching plate portions thereovand vwould into the grooves, notches or slits formed in adjacent edges of each support with these edges both disposed upwardly and in a single operation the .butts can be secured to both supports in the vmanner described. However, in some cases, and

not be objectionable except from the standpoint Y of providing the sockets 26 in receive these projections. Y

Y In Fig. of the drawing a spring 2'I isshown coupled with the socket portions 25, and arranged to operate in thejsocketsrZB of ,the supports I Il and II. rIfhe spring is arc shaped in form and hasV hooked ends 28 for engagement with the edges of the inwardly pressed Vwalls 29 of theV sockets 25. This type of a hinge structure is known, and serves to support the cover I I in open, as well as closed positions. v

In Fig, 3-A of the drawing is shown a slight modication. In this figure, a` portion of one support 30 is illustrated. One end portion of a hinge butt 3| is shown including an angularly extending flange 32, similar in all respects to the V flanges I8, and at the end of which is a ange 33 which diiers from the flanges 20 simply in the provision of a prong 34 stamped from the material thereof, and extending outwardly soY as to becomeimbedded in the wall structure of the support 35i. It will be understood that both ends of each butt will be similarly formed, and in initially producing the'butts, the keying dangle 33 will be arranged in a position substantially similar vto the dotted lineposition shown in Fig. S-A, and then forced into the support substantially in the manner indicated in fulllines In thisoperation the body of the ilangey3`3 may becomeV Slightly imbedded in. the Support. or in Some cases, may actually make no material impression in the support. However, it must be borne in mind that in dealing with sheet metal, the thicki ness of the metal employed in the butt isvery thin, and a question of degree of impression or imbedding in receiving a blow, particularly on a support of hard material might in some cases be more orless microscopic. In such cases, the. impression in any event would not be suicient to insure positive mounting of the butt in connection with the support, andfrom this standpoint, the prong is employed to pierce the support. 5

Contrary to the foregoing, where the supports are of a softer material, the support may be said to be depressed, and the thin wall flange, as Vfor example 20, is simply forced into this depression in the'same operation. ,Y e Y Y Hinges of the class under consideration maybe produced from any kind of material capable of being produced and assembled in the manner described. In this connection plastic materialsv can be employed. With some plastic materials, it may be found necessary to pre-heat the cou pling'flanges prior to Ithe assemblage operation, orV in -the operation ofimbeddingj-thein in-Vthe;

the supports to where deemed advisable, one butt may rst be attached to one support, and then attached to the companion support. With all instances, however, the thickness in the wall'structures of the supportsA or at -least adjacent edge portions thereof to be hingedly united will be of the same thickness or of a thickness equivalent to the normal spacing ofthe end anges from the at- Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with adjacent wall porl.tions of two supports 'adapted to be hingedly coupled,`with spaced slits on said walls arranged angularly to and opening through adjacent abutting edges of said walls and through inner and outer surfaces thereof, of a hinge comprising ,two' butts having elongated attaching plates,

" means at adjacent edges of the plates for hingedly coupling the same, said plates being adapted to be mounted on outer surfaces of said supports,

the ends of each platelhaving angularly extend- 1 ing flange portions arranged in said slits andofa length equal to the thickness of the wall portions of the supports, and the inner ends of said ange portions having angularly extending keying anges overlying and imbedded in inner'surfaces Vof saidV supports in retaining the butts against ly coupling the same,v said plates being adapted to be mounted on outersurfaces of said supports, the ends of each plate Vhaving angularly extending ange portions arranged in said slits and of a length equal to the thickness of the Wall portions oithe supportspthejinner ends 'of' said flange portions having angularlyextending keying flanges overlying andimbedded in inner surfaces ofY said Y supports in retaining the butts againstdisplacement from the respective sup-v 1 ports, and saidkeying flanges piercing the supports.'V 3. The combination with adjacent wall portions of two supports adaptedto be hingedly cou-l pled with Aspaced slits on saidwal-is arranged angularlyto and opening through adjacent abutting f including prongsedges of said walls and through inner and outer surfaces thereof, of a hinge comprising two butts having elongated attaching plates, means at adjacent edges of the plates for hingedly coupling the same, said plates being adapted to be mounted on outer surfaces of said supports, the ends of each plate having angularly extending flange portions arranged in said slits and of a length equal to the thickness of the wall portions of the supports, the inner ends of said flange Iportions having angularly extending keying flanges overlying and imbedded in inner surfaces of said supports in retaining the butts against displacement from the -respective supports, outer surfaces of the supports having recesses intermediate the slits in said supports, and said attaching plates having socket portions fitting in the recesses of said supports.

4. The combination with supports adapted to be hingedly coupled and having slots arranged angularly to and opening through adjacent abutting surfaces and inner and outer surfaces of the supports, of a hinge comprising two butts, each butt having a flat attaching plate portion adapted for arrangement on the outer surface of a support, means hingedly coupling adjacent edges of the attaching plate portions of the butts in alinement with abutting surfaces of the supports, the ends of said butts having Ipreformed L-shaped mounting members, one leg of said mounting members being adapted to enter the slots on the adjacent surfaces of the supports and of a length equal to the distance between inner and outer surfaces of the supports, and the other legs of said members being arranged upon inner surfaces of the supports adjacent the slots therein and imbedded in said surfaces in keying the butts against displacement from each support,

5. The combination with supports adapted to be hingedly coupled and having slots arranged angularly to and opening through adjacent abutting surfaces and inner and outer surfaces of the supports, of a hinge comprising two butts, each butt having a flat attaching plate portion adapted for arrangement on the outer surface of a support, means hingedly coupling adjacent edges of the attaching plate portions of the butts in alinement with abutting surfaces of the supports, the ends of said butts having preformed L-shaped mounting members, one leg of said mounting members being adapted to enter the slots on the adjacent surfaces of the supports and of a length equal to the distance between inner and outer surfaces of the supports, the other legs of said members being arranged upon inner surfaces of the supports adjacent the slots therein and imbedded in said surfaces in keying the butts against displacement from each support, and said last named legs including prongs.

6. A hinge for hingedly coupling two supports at adjacent abutting wall portions of the supports, said wall portions having slots opening through adjacent and inner and outer surfaces thereof, said hinge comprising substantially similar butts having attaching plates adapted for arrangement on inner and outer surfaces of the supports, means at adjacent edges of the attaching plates for hingedly coupling said butts in alinement with abutting surfaces of the supports, each attaching plate having preformed L-shaped mounting flanges, one part of each flange extending angularly to the attaching plate and adapted to be arranged inthe slots in the wall of the respective support in connection with which the butt is mounted, said part being equal to the distance between inner and outer surfaces of the supports, the other part of each flange extending angularly to the end of the first named part and being disposed upon the inner surface of said wall, and means for keying the last named part to said wall of the support when the butt is mounted on the support in retaining the butt against displacement therefrom.

7. A hinge for hingedly coupling two supports at adjacent abutting wall portions of the supports, said Wall portions having. slots opening through adjacent and inner and outer surfaces thereof, said hinge comprising substantially similar butts having attaching plates adapted for arrangement on inner and outer surfaces of the supports, means at adjacent edges of the attaching plates for hingedly coupling said butts in alinement with abutting surfaces of the supports, each attaching plate having preformed L-shaped mounting flanges, one part of each flange extending angularly to the attaching plate and adapted to be arranged in the slots in the wall of the respective support in connection with which the butt is mounted, said part being equal to the distance between inner and outer surfaces of the supports, the other part of each flange extending angularly to the end of the flrst named part and being disposed upon the inner surface of said wall, means for keying the last named part in said wall of the support when the butt is mounted on the support in retaining the butt against displacement therefrom, and said last named means comprising the imbedding of said 4second flange 

